A total of 55 nominees will have to battle it out for a place in the FIFA FIFPro World11 2016 award. In a press statement released by the world football governing body earlier today, the selection process involves more than 25,000 professional footballers across 75 different countries where each footballer selects one goalkeeper, four defers, three midfielders and three forwards.
Despite being 38 years old, Italian legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has been nominated after winning the Serie A with Juventus last season and putting up a fine performance at the European Championship in France earlier this year. Some notable defenders include Italy’s Leonardo Bonucci, Spain’s Gerard Pique, and Argentina’s Javier Mascherano.
At the midfield, there are popular faces such as Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets, Man City’s Kevin De Bryune and West Ham’s Dimitri Payet, who was named in the UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament when France lost to Portugal in the final. Real Madrid have been represented by two midfielders – Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, while their rivals Barcelona have Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, and Ivan Rakitic.
The Belgian NT have sent their congratulatory messages to the midfield duo of Eden Hazard and Kevin Bruyne
.@hazardeden10 & @DeBruyneKev are nominated for FIFA FIFPro #World11 2016! Congrats boyspic.twitter.com/xzt2cHImgQ
— BelgianRedDevils (@BelRedDevils) December 1, 2016
The La Liga duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will go head to head against each other in the award as usual. The two superstar have also been nominated for the Ballon d’Or award, which will be held next year on January 9, 2017. Their nomination for the FIFPro World11 2016 category comes at a time when the duo are set to clash this weekend in El Clasico. Other notable forwards include Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Alexis Sanchez, Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero.
Leicester City are proud of their lethal goal-poacher, Vardy
#lcfc's Jamie Vardy has been named on the 55-man shortlist for the FIFA FIFPro World11 2016.
— Leicester City (@LCFC) December 1, 2016
Well done, @vardy7https://t.co/5rmdAF6sxh pic.twitter.com/mQJPxE1wa7
Here is the full list of the 55 nominees
Goalkeepers (5): Claudio Bravo (Chile/FC Barcelona/Manchester City),Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/Juventus), David de Gea (Spain/Manchester United), Keylor Navas (Costa Rica/Real Madrid) and Manuel Neuer (Germany/FC Bayern Munich).
Defenders (20): David Alaba (Austria/FC Bayern Munich), Jordi Alba (Spain/FC Barcelona), Serge Aurier (Côte d’Ivoire/Paris Saint-Germain), Héctor Bellerìn (Spain/Arsenal), Jérôme Boateng (Germany/FC Bayern Munich), Leonardo Bonucci (Italy/Juventus), Daniel Carvajal (Spain/Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (Italy/Juventus), Dani Alves (Brazil/FC Barcelona/Juventus), David Luiz (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain/Chelsea), Diego Godín (Uruguay/Atlético Madrid), Mats Hummels (Germany/Borussia Dortmund/FC Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Germany/FC Bayern Munich), Marcelo (Brazil/Real Madrid), Javier Mascherano (Argentina/FC Barcelona), Pepe (Portugal/Real Madrid), Gerard Piqué (Spain/FC Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Spain/Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain) and Raphaël Varane (France/Real Madrid).
Midfielders (15): Xabi Alonso (Spain/FC Bayern Munich), Sergio Busquets (Spain/FC Barcelona), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea), Andrés Iniesta (Spain/FC Barcelona), N’Golo Kanté (France/Leicester City/Chelsea) Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid), Luka Modrić (Croatia/Real Madrid), Mesut Özil (Germany/Arsenal), Dimitri Payet (France/West Ham United), Paul Pogba (France/Juventus/Manchester United), Ivan Rakitić (Croatia/FC Barcelona), David Silva (Spain/Manchester City), Marco Verratti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain) and Arturo Vidal (Chile/FC Bayern Munich).
Strikers (15): Sergio Agüero (Argentina/Manchester City), Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid), Paulo Dybala (Argentina/Juventus), Antoine Griezmann (France/Atlético Madrid), Gonzalo Higuaín (Argentina/Napoli/Juventus), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/FC Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona), Thomas Müller (Germany/FC Bayern Munich), Neymar (Brazil/FC Barcelona), Alexis Sánchez (Chile/Arsenal), Luis Suárez (Uruguay/FC Barcelona) and Jamie Vardy (England/Leicester City).
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